Dies Veritas
by AKAtheCentimetre
Summary: 21 year old Teddy R. Lupin sets out to discover that which was stolen from him. TeddyVictoire, RemusTonks. ON HIATUS.
1. Prologue

Hi everyone - I'm a bit nervous, as this is my first HP fanfic! But after reading Deathly Hallows, I just had to write this. Main character is Teddy Lupin, but as I've always loved Remus and Tonks they will also be explored in depth if I can manage it. I'd love reviews and constructive criticism! Thanks!

Summary: 21-year-old Teddy Remus Lupin sets out to discover that which was taken from him.

**SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ DEATHLY HALLOWS.**

Disclaimer: HP and everything in it belongs to JKRowling. Original characters (which will be obvious) are mine.

* * *

**Dies Veritas**

Prologue

**_June 1998_**

_Tap._

_Taptap._

"Wh…who is it?"

"It is I, Harry James Potter, son of Lily and James, godson of Sirius Black, whose Patronus is a stag, with tidings of the battle at Hogwarts!"

_Snapbang!_

"Harry! Oh, thank goodness you're here, I've been so worried – well, where is she?"

"Mrs. Tonks…I – I've come to see Teddy."

…

"No – "

…

"No no _no NO __**NO!**_"

…

"Mrs. Tonks – An-Andromeda… may I see him?"

"It's all his fault, my fault, your fault, oh god Dora oh _Merlin – _"

* * *

_**3 years old**_

"Granny?"

"Yes, you little Teddy bear?"

"Mummy and Daddy like me, don't they?"

"…of – of course they do, Teddy. Why on earth with a smart little boy like you think anything so silly?"

"They away f'ra long time."

"Yes, I know, sweetheart. But your mummy loves you very much – she had to take a long journey with your daddy and some friends, but one day, you'll be with her again. And look at how much you look like her, with your pretty pink hair!"

"Like bwue better. Can I have some more chocolate?"

* * *

_**5 years old**_

"Uncle Harry?"

"Yes, Teddy?"

"Igottapresentforyou."

"What was that?"

"I – I got a present for you, Uncle Harry. And one for Aunt Ginny too. H-happy Christmas!"

"Oh, Teddy, you sweet thing! You shouldn't have, really – here, come in the kitchen and we'll get you some chocolate."

"Yum!"

"You shouldn't spoil him, Gin – honestly, he eats more chocolate than his dad did, and that's saying something."

"Dafovolate?"

"Eh?"

"Swallow before you talk, dear. Come, sit by the fire and get warm – oh, hello Andromeda! So nice to see you again…"

"Sorry, Uncle Harry – I said, Dad loved chocolate?"

"That he did – more than anything. 'Cept you and your mum, of course. Oh, and that reminds me, I've got your present here – "

"YAY! Presents presents presents presents…"

"Uh-oh, you said the magic word. Thank you so much for inviting us, Ginny! You look glowing, dear."

"Thank you! Here, have some eggnog…"

"Why don't I get eggnog?"

"You're too young, that's why, young man. Now, are you going to open my present or aren't you?"

…

"It's of them at their wedding. I wasn't there, but I found this at my own godfather's old house…do you like it?"

"…yes…yes…I-I do…"

"Gracious, look at that! Still gives me a shock every time he does it back at home – every time he sees a picture – of anyone at all, mind – he copies their hairstyle. Oh, but Teddy, do you have to add in the grey to the brown? You're not an old man, after all!"

* * *

_**8 years old**_

_Whoosh._

"Teddy! My word, we weren't expecting you this early and – I thought you were coming with your gran by broomstick, not Floo! …Teddy? Teddy, what's wrong?"

"G-gran yelled at me! S-she said I w-wasn't to m-make my hair like d-dad's anymore a-and that d-dad t-took mum away a-and th-then she said d-dad was a m-monster and – "

"_WHAT?"_

"Harry! Harry, don't yell, you'll frighten him into – "

_Crash_.

"There, you see! That vase just exploded!"

"Well what do you expect, Ginny? He's distraught… oh, Teddy, it's alright…don't cry, Teddy, we're here…"

…

"D-dad wasn't a m-monster, w-was he?"

"_No,_ Teddy. Aunt Ginny promises, your daddy was the one of the nicest men anyone could know. Come here, dear – that's it, it'll be all right, shh…"

"Right, that's it. I'm off to see his _Gran._"

"Harry, don't be so cross – "

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be _quite _polite…"

_Whoosh._

…

"Teddy?"

"…y-yes, Aunt Ginny?"

"How would you like to stay with Uncle Harry and I for a few days? Hmm? Would you like to stay and play with James and Albus?"

"J-James _and_ Albus?"

"Oh, of course! You haven't seen your newest cousin yet…shall we go upstairs? He likes meeting new people."

"Y-yes please…"

"Don't worry, Teddy – everything will be fine…"

* * *

_**10 years old**_

"She's so little, Aunt Ginny! Was I ever that little? I can't have ever been that little."

"I know from personal experience that you were, Teddy. Here, hold her hand… awww, how cute!"

"What?"

"Your hair turns red when you're blushing – and only over holding Lily's hand, too!"

"Does not!"

"Does so."

"Does not!"

"Find yourself a mirror, squirt."

"Uncle Harry! Aunt Ginny's teasing me!"

"Too bad. She's right, you know. Your mum's hair changed colors with her emotions too."

"I'm not blushing!"

"Of course you're not. Here, d'you want to ride with me to the Weasleys'? I reckon you're good enough to fly on your own."

"Yeah!"

"Here, it's an old broom of mine – but faster than the one you were practicing on, so just kick off lightly – "

_Zoom – _

"_Haha!"_

"Teddy! Teddy, not so fast!"

"Whoa! Tree, tree, help!"

_Crack – thump._

"OW! Ow – ow – ow – bugger!"

"Language, young man! Let's see your ankle, come on – _Ferula!_"

"Well, I've lived up to one thing – you always said my mum was clumsy. S'pose I'm living up to it. Yeck, leaves in my mouth! Pbbtht!"

"That you are, Teddy, that you are…"

* * *

_**11 years old**_

"It's almost eleven, you'd better get on the train – now, promise me you'll write to us and to your Gran, all right?"

"Y-yeah, I will…"

"What's wrong?"

"I – I just – "

"Yeah, I know. I was scared too, y'know."

"Really, Uncle Harry?"

"Was I ever! Your Uncle George and his brother tricked me into thinking the Sorting Ceremony involved fighting a troll. I was terrified!"

"W-well, that was silly… anyone who's read _Hogwarts: A History_ knows that's not true…"

"Merlin, you've read that already? Just like your Aunt Hermione."

"Uncle Harry – would mum and dad hate me if I failed in school? D-d'you think they're proud of me?"

…

"Teddy, come here. I've got something to give you. Take out your wand – "

"Why? It's just a piece of parchment."

"Never assume. Now, repeat after me – I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"I solemnly swear that I – _whoa!!!_"

* * *

_**13 years old**_

"Bill told me you met Victoire at school, Teddy. How'd you two get along?"

"Oh! Er, well – you know, Aunt Ginny… we, er, got along, yeah."

"She's very pretty, isn't she?"

"I – uh – "

"Honestly, Gin, don't tease the poor boy. You're about as subtle as Ron!"

"Ooh, that statement shall not go unpunished, mister. That reminds me, I have to go pick up the children at the Burrow, see you in a few…"

_Whoosh._

"We just did werewolves in Defence Against the Dark Arts, you know, Uncle Harry."

"Really? I bet that must have been interesting. Oh, I never congratulated you for that last match against Ravenclaw! Honestly, you're a better chaser than most of ours were during my time at school. Pass the potatoes, would – "

"Did it hurt?"

…

"Dad's transformations, did they hurt as much as the textbook says they did?"

…

"All I can say, Teddy, is that I am glad _you're_ not – "

_Bang._

"Daddy!"

"James! Albus! Did you have a good time with Rose and Hugo?"

"Yep!"

"And we had hot chocolate! And candy, and presents!"

"Someone else is here – aren't you going to come and say hello?"

"_Teddy!!_ Teddy, do the pig nose, the pig nose!"

"Nah, the green hair!"

* * *

_**16 years old**_

"I'm not going to go home for the holidays this year."

"Beg pardon?"

"I'm not going home. I'm staying at school. If I could go anywhere else I would, but I can't, so – "

"Teddy, you know perfectly well you can stay with us whenever and for as long as you like – what on earth are you talking about?"

…

"I can't go home."

"Why in the name of Merlin's beard not?"

"I can't stay with Gran."

…

"Oh."

…

"They call me 'cub' at school."

"Who does?"

"People."

"_What people, Teddy?"_

"Just people, all right!"

"Look, tell Uncle Harry what's – "

"_SHUT UP!"_

…

"What?"

"I said shut up! You're not my uncle, Ginny's not my aunt, this is not my home despite whatever platitudes or clichés of love you may scatter about! You don't need to be proud of my OWL record, you don't need to treat me like a child, least of all yours, BECAUSE I'M NOT! My parents decided to abandon me when I was two months old, and they're dead, and you can't replace them, so just STOP TRYING!"

"Teddy Remus Lupin, get back here!"

_Slam._

_Creak._

…

"It's all right to cry, Teddy."

…

"Have you ever cried for them?"

…

"Your parents were some of the greatest friends I ever had. Your father was the greatest teacher I ever had, you mother was the most cheerful person I ever knew. They died to keep you safe – that's all that mattered to them."

…

"No one will be angry if you cry, Teddy."

…

* * *

_**Just 20 years old**_

"_I, Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hereby pronounce the Hogwarts class of Two Thousand and Eighteen full witches and wizards! May all your future endeavors be successful, your lives long and prosperous!"_

"Congratulations, Victoire!"

"Teddy! I deed not theenk you would come!"

"You don't need to put on the accent for me, you know. _I know you better_."

"Oh, hush, you silly Ministry prat, and kiss me before I slap you."

"As your ladyship pleases – "

"Teddy!!"

"Ah, merde…"

"Ah – um, hello James, hello Albus. I didn't think you'd still be here!"

"We stayed to watch Victoire graduate – Bill and Fleur came, so the rest of mum's family decided to make a day of it. No point in us going home before now. Victoire, can you show me the Ravenclaw common room before you go? Please please please? I've never been in there…"

"Oh, all right, James. Come, I will show you zee way – zo I do not know if eet will still be open…"

"So, how has your first year been, Albus?"

"Brilliant! My classes are all fantastic, and James showed me two secret passages he found."

"Only two, eh?"

"Yeah. Why, do you know any more? Tell me, Teddy, please!"

"Hmm…I wonder, Albus – if I gave you something special, that would help you get around Hogwarts easier, would you promise not to get into too much mischief?"

"_You_ did loads of pranks while you were here – why can't I? And what is it?"

"Well, yes, but that's beside the point – here, take out your wand."

"Why? It's just a piece of parchment."

"Repeat after me – I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"I solemnly swear that I – _whoa!!!_"

* * *

_**21 years old**_

**Ted R. Lupin, Auror  
****Auror Headquarters  
****Ministry of Magic  
****London**

**RETURN: GRINGOTT'S WIZARD BANK**

_Teddy, OPEN THIS ENVELOPE BEFORE YOU OPEN THE PACKAGE. I expect I'll be seeing you soon. Oh, and Happy Birthday._

_Harry_

* * *

Review and you'll be my hero!!! I hope you enjoyed it. To be continued very soon! 


	2. Chapter 1: Raid

Wow!!! I've never gotten so many reviews on anything so quickly – thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!

A couple of things I wanted to note down before I went on – 1) Remus/Tonks was my favorite ship, Remus my favorite character in the whole series. Although Teddy is the main character in this fic, I've always wanted to explore Remus/Tonks and their respective lives, so this'll be more a 3-main-character story. Ish. 2) on a slightly more random note, this fic's title 'Dies Veritas' is the closest I could get – without having taken Latin – to 'Day of Truth'. Sorry if that's wrong, but I was impatient to put this up and not too concerned over the finer points of Latin grammar.

**Emmy-loo: **Thank you! Here's more!

**Lady Something:** I knoooow, Lupin was my total favorite too, and Lupin/Tonks was my special ship – I cried so hard! Thanks for your review!

**eshesh:** Thanks so much! Yeah, I realized the first scene was a bit sudden after I wrote it, but what I wanted to convey was that Harry, despite his new maturity, still has no idea to tell a mother that she's just lost her child. It was really hard to try and do this with only dialogue – oh well! It was a fun exercise.

**Kates Master:** yup, there's more! Thanks for your review.

**Seriously Sirius Marauder: **Thank you!

**Lupin&tonks4-ever:** Thank you too!! I hope you enjoy the rest!

**RavenPaine:** Thanks for your review – and I'm glad you like the only-dialogue concept, I had fun doing it! Yeah, that swallow/chewing was a typo, I've gone back and fixed it.

**twouble:** Thank you!

**darkdestiny2000: **Thanks a lot – I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**tonksrulez:** Thanks! Yeah, it was hard to write the prologue all in dialogue – I hope it wasn't too confusing!

**The Sushi Monster:** Thanks for reading! Nope, it's a story, as you can see.

**HaruAaki: **Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

**Julia:** Thank you! Well, of _course_ Victoire is Bill and Fleur's daughter. It couldn't be any other way, lol!

**Music XnX Lyrics: **Thank you so much!

**Jarlaxle Baenre: **Yeah, I thought for a while about who would tell Andromeda – I decided on Harry because he's Teddy godfather. I'm glad you liked it!!!

**Elwen of Lorien: **Thanks!

**beware of trips:** Thank you!

**Mei fa-chan:** I'm glad you enjoyed the prologue!

**aryell: **Thanks!

**SPOILERS FOR DEATHLY HALLOWS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOK 7.**

**Disclaimer:** HP and all its characters belong to JKRowling. Original characters (which will be obvious) are mine.

* * *

**Dies Veritas**

**Chapter 1: Raid**

_Riiiiiing._

Riiiiiing.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII –

The stylish London apartment was messy – books, records, and abandoned articles of clothing were tossed everywhere. Photographs and tattered posters covered the walls, but not the kind one would expect to see in an apartment on the Charing Cross road. For one, the names of the bands blazoned across them seemed to have quite a preoccupation with the fantastical – one shouted "_The Stampeding Hippogriffs_", another, "_The Firebreathers: Horntail Heaven_". Even if one managed to accept that the occupant of the flat was merely a fanatic of the weird, there could be no denying that the people in the photographs were _moving_.

In the bedroom, the ringing grew steadily louder, culminating in a shrill, high-pitched screech. Beneath the haphazard covers, a shape stirred sleepily, a bare foot sticking out into the cool air.

"All right, all right," a muffled voice grumbled as a pale arm emerged from the beneath the quilt, clumsily grabbing at a long piece of polished wood, grasping the knobbly end and waving it carelessly at the tiny black alarm clock, which by now was practically moving across the bedside table with the force of its own noise. "Shut it – "

A spark flew out of the stick of wood, and the alarm clock abruptly fell silent. The stick was dropped back onto the table, and the figure under the covers sighed. A few moments passed, then the voice emerged again, softer.

"Happy birthday to me…happy birthday to me…happy birthday to Teddy…happy birth – _AUGH_!"

A gigantic thump rang through the room as the tall, violently purple-haired young wizard tumbled out of the bed, reaching desperately for his wand. The suddenly legged, pincered, and loudly shrieking alarm clock was clinging viciously to the end of his thin nose.

"OUT OF BED GET UP OUT OF BED LAZY HEAD GET OUT OF BED – "

"_Ow!_" Teddy Lupin said angrily as the alarm clock fell off his nose and instead started running after his toes on sharp little legs. "Why, you – " He lashed out with the wand, but the alarm clock not only persisted, it grew little hairy wings as well, and started banging itself off the back of Teddy's already aching head as he dashed around his sitting room, futilely trying to take cover behind various items of furniture.

"ALL RIGHT!" Teddy roared. "I'M AWAKE!"

And just like that, the tiny alarm clock lay docile and silent on the wooden floor.

"Ted!"

Muttering some rather filthy curses under his breath – filthy enough to turn his hair bright maroon, at any rate – Teddy crawled out from behind his red armchair and stood, readjusting his pajamas around his waist. Bloody stupid thing, why his Aunt Hermione had given it to him he really didn't know –

"Ted Lupin!"

He looked up sharply, turning his whole world maroon as his bangs fell into his eyes. In the corner of the sitting room sat a fireplace, the small fire within it maintained scrupulously with magic – and in the fire sat a head.

Most certainly not typical of the Charing Cross road.

Teddy hurried across the room, grabbing a sweatshirt off the back of his sofa – his hair was blue when it emerged out the neckhole – rubbed his eyes quickly to remove any traces of sleep, and then knelt down in front of the fire. "Morning, Mrs. Jones," he said politely.

Chubby-cheeked Hestia Jones, Head Auror of the British Ministry of Magic, beamed up at him through her graying hair. "Morning, Lupin. Not a social call, I'm afraid – "

"Well, I didn't think so," Teddy replied jokingly, crossing his legs so he was more comfortable on the hard floor. "It is my day off, after all."

Hestia frowned quickly. "Yes, I know – I am really sorry about this, and I know it's your birthday as well – but this is important. We need all staff at Headquarters, we're meeting in an hour."

Teddy's forehead wrinkled slightly. "Why, what's wrong?"

Jones shook her head briskly. "Can't say through the fire, it's Security Clearance One. Besides, your fireplace was probably tapped by the _Prophet_ years ago, what with you being Potter's godson and all. Anyway, be here in an hour, we've got planning to do."

"Yes ma'am!" Teddy replied cheerfully, offering a cheeky two-fingered salute.

Hestia's smile shrunk suddenly, and she looked grim. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Sorry again, Ted. But I think – " she paused here, then blinked suddenly and continued. "I think you'll like this assignment, in a way – right, must be off. Ta!"

Teddy sat in silence for a few moments before hauling himself to his feet. Slipping slightly over a slew of magazines he had kicked over during his dash to escape the clock, he crossed the room, entered his bedroom, and emerged a few minutes later dressed and rubbing his sore nose between his fingers. A tall mirror hung on the wall just before the entrance to his whitewashed kitchen, and he stopped for a moment to inspect the damage the clock had inflicted.

A pale, heart-shaped face stared back at him, the end of its long nose turning an angry red. That morning Teddy Remus Lupin, twenty-one year old Auror and Metamorphagus, was tall and thin, his elbows and knees clearly bony through his clothes. His black button-down shirt fit him snugly, its impeccable neatness a curious contrast to his ripped and multi-colored jeans. He wore dragon-hide boots, brown and shining, on his large feet, and a thin silver belt for his wand around his waist.

"Twenty one years old," he murmured softly, cocking his head slightly and staring at his face in the mirror. Teddy smiled somewhat sadly and looked up above his head, to where a photograph was magically affixed to the surface of the mirror. "How about that, eh?"

The two people in the photograph beamed at him, the older man's arm around the younger witch's shoulders from behind, hugging her close. The witch, who had been giggling and grasping her husband's arm as it twined around her chest, let go with one hand so she could wave enthusiastically at Teddy, her short spiky hair flashing from red to blue to green – to golden brown, the color of the grinning man's own hair.

"Yeah, how about that," Teddy repeated somewhat morosely, tearing his eyes away from the photograph. "Right, then," he continued in a businesslike tone as he screwed his pale grey eyes shut, "Time for traditions."

A few moments later, a small pop echoed through the room and he opened his eyes. His hair was now spiky and a shocking color of pink, his face even more heart-shaped, his nose small and slightly snubbed, freckles spread lightly across his cheeks. His eyes were a deep color of blue.

Teddy figured that some people might have strange traditions, but he was sure he'd win any contest. After all, how many people could boast that every year on their birthday, they spent half of their day as their mother and half as their father?

Pink for the sunrise, gold and grey for the sunset…

Well, it had sounded poetic when he was fourteen.

And, grabbing his cloak and casting one last glance into the mirror at his pale, pink reflection, Teddy disapparated from the flat.

* * *

Auror Headquarters had never before seemed so full. Hestia Jones, ever the matronly boss, was bustling around with a tray full of cups of tea and chocolate biscuits when Teddy arrived, the spikes in his hair slightly flattened from the gale-force winds he had encountered in the street. Pushing his way politely past two other chatting young aurors, Adam Reading and Peter Valentine (both of whom had been in Teddy's year at Hogwarts), Teddy finally made it to his desk, just managing to avoid being decapitated by a huge package an exhausting-looking owl was dropping heavily onto the floor, where it was promptly stepped upon by none other than Aberforth Dumbledore.

"Oh, damn," Aberforth grunted good-naturedly, stooping easily despite his age and height and lifting the package, examining the label for a moment and then putting it carefully down on Teddy's desk. "Sorry, young Lupin," he continued, his piercing blue eyes shining as he looked over Teddy's hair and apparel. "Celebrating something, are we?"

Teddy had broken out into a delighted smile the moment he'd recognized Aberforth's singular purple boots – he'd clung to them enough as a child to recognize them anywhere. "Yessir," he grinned. "It happens to be my birthday, sir!"

"Enough with the sir-ing," a deep, soothing voice intoned from behind Teddy. "I think you know him well enough to call him Aberforth, don't you think?"

Now Teddy knew that this was no ordinary Auror meeting. Surrounded by red-robed assistants, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, stood in the doorway.

Teddy immediately inclined his head respectfully in greeting. "Mr. Shacklebolt, sir." The whole room had fallen into quiet, excited whisperings when the Minister had entered, and he was uncomfortably aware of how loud his voice suddenly sounded in the jam-packed room.

Shacklebolt smiled genially, pulling off his hat to reveal distinguished graying hair. "Percival," he said, turning to one of his aides, "make a note – Auror Lupin is hereby officially obligated to address the Minister of Magic by his first name." A scatter of laughter bounced around Headquarters, and it took a supreme effort for Teddy to keep his blush confined to his face.

As the grouped Aurors began to talk amongst themselves once again, Kingsley walked quietly up to Teddy and shook his hand. Teddy, surprised, felt a small bag fall into the pocket of his robes as the Minister pulled back.

"Happy birthday," Kingsley murmured. "I need a few minutes with Hestia before we start, if you'll excuse me – "

Aberforth slid in beside Teddy as the Minister wept away, followed by his gang of scribbling followers. "Ridiculous," Aberforth snorted. "I mean, not that Kingsley isn't a great man – but look at them. They're like lapdogs." His eyes twinkled as he looked at Teddy again, resting on his pink hairline. "That package is yours, you know."

"Oh – oh, right," Teddy said, distracted, as he turned to his desk. The large brown package sat amongst the wreckage of Teddy's last day at work, when he had been inundated with a five hundred-page report on the activities of the families Nott and Goyle over the previous five years. Although he could never describe his work as boring, Teddy was fairly sure that poring over the files of the so-called 'Former Associates' or 'F.A.'s of Lord Voldemort was the worst job anyone in the department could be given, as hardly any of the F.A.s had undertaken any Dark behavior for over twenty years.

Now the pages of the report lay scattered across the desk and the carpeted floor, displaced by the package, which Teddy noted was wrapped very neatly indeed in brown paper and tied with string knotted several times over. Secure under the string lay a thick envelope. Without touching the package – Teddy knew enough through his training not to touch anything without inspecting it first – he read:

**Ted R. Lupin, Auror  
****Auror Headquarters  
****Ministry of Magic  
****London**

**RETURN: GRINGOTT'S WIZARD BANK**

_Teddy, OPEN THIS ENVELOPE BEFORE YOU OPEN THE PACKAGE. I expect I'll be seeing you soon. Oh, and Happy Birthday._

_- Harry_

Within seconds, he had the string cut magically and was carefully tearing open the envelope – if it bore his godfather's name, the envelope wasn't dangerous, that much he knew. A moment later, three pieces of paper fluttered to the floor at Teddy's feet. Two looked normal, but the third was yellow with age and as Teddy watched, a corner of it seemed to break off and crumble into dust.

Sitting down in his office chair, Teddy slowly picked up the papers, laid two of them – including the old one – back onto the top of the package, and opened the first paper. This bore the official seal of Gringott's, a locked door embossed with a large golden key.

_Mr. Ted R. Lupin – _

_As instructed by the late owners of Vault 1287 at Gringott's Wizard Bank, this package has been delivered to you from said Vault on the occasion of your twenty-first birthday. We hope that no damage has been done to its contents during transport and that you will find our actions carried out to your satisfaction._

_Cordially,_

_GRIPHOOK  
__Department of Bequeathed Items  
__Gringott's Wizard Bank_

Growing more puzzled by the minute, Teddy reached for the second letter:

_Teddy – _

_Harry here. Look, I know this will all seem very strange to you – you haven't opened the package yet, I hope? But I can explain. Your parents wanted you to have this in case they died, but thought – if they did die – that waiting until you were older would be wiser. I've added some of mine as well, and so have your Gran, Kingsley, Hagrid, Neville, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione… Now, not all of them will be pleasant, Teddy, you must remember that. Everyone has both good and bad in their lives, commits good and evil deeds. Promise me you'll remember that, and that you won't be too affected. It's never a pleasant experience, but I think you'll understand them better afterwards. Happy birthday, Teddy._

_Your affectionate godfather,_

_Harry J. Potter_

By this time, Teddy's pink head was spinning slightly. Dazed, he reached for the third letter – but he had gotten no further than the faded, loopy "_Dear Teddy – _" when the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt rang out over the crowd.

"Thank you all for being here on such short notice," the Minister called, instantly commanding complete silence and attention. Teddy hurriedly tossed the letters back on the desk, forgetting the package in the tense atmosphere of Headquarters. Hestia Jones stood at the Minister's left shoulder, Aberforth on his right, both their faces grim and yet strangely triumphant.

"We do not have much time, ladies and gentlemen, so I shall come straight to the point," Kingsley said sharply. "The Ministry received intelligence this morning of the whereabouts of Former Associate 26."

Teddy jerked in his chair. Aberforth looked quickly over at the young man, who seemed to suddenly be shaking almost violently.

"He is in London," Kingsley continued quickly. "We are having him followed at a discreet distance. I understand from Ms. Jones – " Hestia nodded as he gestured to her " – that he is currently in a pub not far from Trafalgar Square. I will let Aberforth and Hestia go over the plan with you all." Kingsley's eyes were flinty as he looked over the group, his gaze resting for a moment on the pale Teddy before moving on. "I think I hardly need to inform you of the importance of this mission. F.A. 26 must be captured at all costs."

"Right," Hestia said quickly, moving forward as the Minister sat down, surrounded by scribbling quills. "Assignments. Reading, Valentine, surveillance and backup with me. Aberforth will be leading a team which shall surround the building. In the field – Baxter and Lupin. Lupin," she said sternly, catching Teddy's eye where he sat, trying to control his stomach, "I want a good disguise, you hear me? You and Baxter here – " she indicated Anna Baxter, a pretty brunette witch who had just started in the department " – will be pretending to be a couple. You go in, establish a visual – I want no real contact, mind, if you can help it – and then stun him. Obliviators will be at the scene to take care of the Muggles." She looked almost fiercely at the Aurors squashed into the room, who were all silent as the grave. "Got it?"

A murmur of consent made its way around the room to where Teddy was sitting. His hands were shaking. He thrust them beneath his robes, hoping no one had noticed. He was vaguely aware of Aberforth calling names over the crowd and people moving around him.

"Hey," said a high voice. He looked up, startled, into Anna Baxter's pointed face. She smiled at him confidently. "Come on, Hestia just told me she wanted us off right away. Oh, and it's a Muggle pub, so – " she gestured somewhat apologetically at Teddy's cloak, as if embarrassed she was giving orders to someone who despite their similarity in ages was her senior.

"Right – right, sorry – "

All the way down to the lobby, out into the street, apparating to the busy street near Trafalgar Square – Teddy had forgotten how to breathe – Anna's voice brought him out of his trance.

"I heard you're a Metamorphagus – what's your disguise? We're almost there…"

And then a glorious thought swept over him. He shut his eyes, closing out the bustling Muggles and shops and cars –

_Pop._

"Uh," Anna said, looking him up and down, her brow slightly wrinkled in puzzlement. "All right, I suppose. What's with the gray in your hair?"

The pub was underground, steel steps leading down from the street. It was smoky and dark, crowded close to bursting with Muggles, several of them very drunk despite the relatively early hour. Teddy led Anna down the steps, holding her hand, and smiled as he opened the door for her. "After you, luv," he grinned. She smiled at him, really quite pretty in her floral-patterned dress, and swept in. He followed, and after a few minutes of tense maneuvering and furtive glances at each of the jam-packed tables, they found themselves at the bar with a gin and tonic each.

Then it happened. Anna's eyes widened, looking at something over Teddy's shoulder, and it seemed to Teddy that every single muscle in his body had gone rigid.

"Are you a ghost?" a gust of foul breath wafted over the two of them. Anna's expression, halfway between a frown of confusion and a sniff of disgust, would have been funny anywhere else.

Teddy took a deep breath. "I should say not."

Silence. The Muggle barman dropped a glass, and curses floated down the bar through the noise of the crowd.

"You're _his_ cub, aren't you, little boy?" the voice hissed in his ear.

It was taking all of Teddy's concentration to keep his back turned. "I don't know what you mean."

The voice was quiet this time, low and menacing. "Did you really think you would be able to walk in here looking like that and I wouldn't notice?"

Teddy stood very slowly and turned, ignoring Anna's low hiss of alarm and her hand gripping his arm. "That wasn't my intention."

There was silence for a moment between the two men, and then the older let out a deep chuckle, his face half-obscured in shadow. "Ah, how adorable. You want me to _know _who is taking their revenge, don't you boy?"

Teddy reached for his wand. His blood seemed to be pounding very loudly in his ears –

"Former Associate Twenty-Six, you are under arrest by authority of Hestia Jones, Head Auror of the Ministry of Mag – "

Teddy wasn't quite sure what had happened. One moment he had been talking, and the next, the air was filled with screams and pain was shooting through his every muscle as he lay in the wreckage of one of the pub's long wooden tables. Letting out a harsh gasp of pain, he rolled to his hands and knees, grabbed his wand, which was miraculously lying next to where he had fallen, and stood shakily, gritting his teeth against the sharp jab of agony which flashed through his skull.

The pub was in a state of total chaos. Muggles were crouched under half-smashed tables or drunkenly lurching towards the exits, many of them screaming and whimpering as Teddy's bloodied form lurched towards them. Teddy saw with a thrill of fear that Anna Baxter was lying limply across the bar – however, she stirred and groaned faintly as he approached, and he let out a sigh of relief so loud that it almost masked the sound of the feet pounding down the steps into the pub.

Hestia Jones burst through the door, a livid bruise rising on her cheek, prompting another round of hysterics from the terrified Muggles. Eyes flashing, she strode towards the bar. "Lupin!" she said firmly. "What the hell happened down here? What do you think you were do – oh."

Teddy didn't even have to look at her to know that she had seen past the blood on his face and had seen the chocolate-brown eyes, and the grey-brown hair. He looked down in shame, struggling not to sway on his feet.

Jones huffed suddenly, resigned. "Well," she said quietly – the disappointment in her voice was enough to make Teddy want to give in and collapse – "You two had better get out of here. It'll be a nightmare to clean this mess up."

Nodding dumbly, Teddy turned to help Anna, who was attempting to lift herself off the top of the bar. Shame and embarrassment were creeping up through his chest and neck, and he didn't have to look to know his hair was slowly turning bright red.

Fenrir Greyback, known as F.A. 26, had escaped.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it!!! More to come!!!**


	3. Chapter 2: Conversation

Hi everyone!!! I'm so glad people are enjoying this story – I've been having a great time writing it!

Just something I'd like to clear up, as people have commented on it – this is in no way my first fanfic. It is, however, only the second I have posted on one of the few I have posted anywhere, and the first HP fanfic I have ever written. Just to make that clear!

**Jarlaxle Baenre:** Thank you! Yeah, it would be troublesome to write a whole story just in dialogue, but I hope this format is enjoyable as well. Oh man yes – I start crying every time I think of Remus and Tonks…which might be problematic while I'm writing this story…

**Lady Something:** You'll find out in this chapter if Teddy knows or not…thanks for your review!!!

**The Sushi Monster:** Thanks!!

**RavenPaine:** Yes, Teddy needs several hugs – I was rereading the first two sections and realized that in only 5,000 words, I had had Teddy orphaned, being yelled at, slamming into a tree, having a nervous breakdown, being attacked by an enraged alarm clock, and being thrown around a pub by an insane werewolf. Sets a worrying precedent…hmm. Thanks for reviewing!

**Mei fa-chan:** Thank you!

**emzy lupin:** OH NOES!!! PLEASE DON'T HAVE A HEART ATTACK:D Thank you for your review – I'm glad you liked it so much! Here's more!

**Brinkley:** Well, it's not actually my first piece of fanfic (**points up**) but thank you! I hope keep enjoying the story!

**theLouvre:** Hi darling…thank you!!! I'll talk to you soon, and I miss you already!!!!! Hope you like this chapter too…

**aryell:** Thanks a lot!!

**charismatic: **Thanks for your review – I'm glad you liked it! Not actually my first fanfic, though (**points up**)…hmm, I must have phrased it wrong in the prologue…

**End Transmission:** Thank you!! Yep, here's the keeping it up. :)

**tonksrulez:** Thank you!!!

**Benjamin Linus:** Thanks a lot!! I hope you keep reading!

**SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ DEATHLY HALLOWS.**

**Disclaimer:** All HP characters and universal things belong to JKRowling. Original characters (which will be obvious) are mine.

* * *

**Dies Veritas**

**Chapter 2: Conversation**

"_Teddy? Teddy, where are you? Eet is Victoire – look, I shall have to leave for work soon, so unless you come over right away I won't see you thees morning. Get over here, you silly Eenglish person – I want to give you your birth-daey present. Yes, that has a double meaning. Prat. Love you…Ciao!_"

Beep.

"_Hey! It's Tom – hey, guys, c'mon, let's give him a round – HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR CUUU-UUB…HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOU! …right, so that was from me, Lacey, Hannah, Martin, Catherine, Roger, and…oh, whoever else is here, I've lost count of how many people are living in this dump. Anyway, come over tonight if you can, we'll have the beer and crisps on standby! Unless you'll be with your family or those weird Wiccan friends of yours or whatever they are – if you want some normalcy, just buzz over! We're all wondering what hair color you're on to now…Ta!"_

Beep.

"_Is this thing working? Blimey, I'll never get the hang of these Muggle contraptions – er, Teddy, if you can hear this, it's Adam Reading – Peter's here too. Just wanted to check you were all right after today; we heard about how Jones has put you on probation. Load of dragon-dung if you ask us – honestly, not trying to be insulting, but I doubt you and Baxter would have been able to handle 26 at all. He breezed right past us and everyone on the perimeter – not sure why Jones is being so uppity, she got quite the shiner as well. So, uh – yeah, don't beat yourself up too much over it, okay mate? See you back at work. Oh, and happy birthday._"

Beep.

"_Teddy, it's Harry. Victoire just phoned, said she was worried that she couldn't get hold of you, so I figured you probably got called to work for something. We'd love to have you over at Godric's Hollow for dinner – just a quiet celebration, or at least as quiet as you can get with the kids around. Hope you can make it – er, and I imagine you'll want to ask me some things as well. See you later._"

"_There are no more messages. Main menu – _"

Teddy banged the 'off' switch for the Muggle answering machine far harder than was necessary, taking off his cloak with a sigh as he shuffled further into his dimly-lit flat. Evening was creeping in through the windows, creating shadows around the furniture. The cloak fell onto the floor to join the piles of books and t-shirts, making a muffled clang as it hit the ground. It dimly registered in Teddy's mind that the gift Kingsley had slipped into his pocket lay still unopened, but he was too tired to care. He flopped down on the artfully tatty sofa with a sigh, the mysterious brown package tucked securely under his arm.

For a few moments, all he could do was lie there, mulling over the events of the day, events which threatened to overwhelm him – the pub, Greyback, the pain still shooting through his head, the disappointment on Hestia Jones' face, that _bloody _alarm clock. His hair lengthened and darkened until his entire face was covered with thick black bangs, hardly leaving him any air to breathe. The package slipped down the sofa a few inches.

After a minute or so, Teddy sat up wearily, his hair shrinking back until his eyes were clear and uncovered. He pulled the package onto his lap, playing idly with the cut edges of the string still wrapped around it. The letters lay on top, two opened, the old one – looking more and more like it would fall apart at the slightest touch – unopened. Struggling against the impulse to just let his head fall back on the sofa and fall asleep, Teddy reached out with one hand and opened the letter, his barely-open eyes tiredly scanning the first few words.

_Dear Teddy – _

If there had been people living in the empty apartment downstairs, they would have been rather put out at the abnormal number of thumps that came shuddering through the floor that day. Teddy's backside was aching and his elbows protested sharply as he hauled himself up off the floor, scrambling for his wand. Finally finding it, he gasped, "_Lumos!_" and held the flickering wandlight close to the paper, his wide eyes devouring the words hungrily.

_Dear Teddy – _the loopy, neat handwriting began –

_It's your father here – your mother's looking over my shoulder as I write, though, so I suppose it's from both of us. Yes, it most definitely is – her rather incredible skills in the area of sharp elbowing just reminded me of the fact. So, hello._

_It feels rather strange to be writing to you when you're currently lying asleep on my back – your mother decided there was no time early enough for a little boy to learn how to have a piggyback, and so I am currently trapped on the floor with you on top of me – a rather uncomfortable position to write in, but I wouldn't wake you for the world. I can feel you breathing – now a cough, now a little giggle. I wonder if you are dreaming? Yes, you must be – your hair just turned light blue, and it always does that when you're having a good dream._

_Teddy – if you're reading this, then it means we're dead. If you're reading this, your mother and I will never see you again – we've been killed in battle, we've been murdered, we've been hunted down by Ministry bigots – these are dark times, my dear little darling boy, and there are any number of ways by which we could die. So tonight, your beautiful mother and I are going to make sure you get this package – not now, not for a long time, but you will get it, that I promise you. No matter what happens, Teddy, you will be safe, you will live, and you will not be alone. The two of us spent a long time coming up with which ones to give you – I didn't want to upset you or make you afraid, but Dora insisted that we give ourselves to you completely and utterly, and not leave you to rely on gossip or happenstance any longer._

_If we die, son, it will most likely happen soon. The Dark Lord's power is reaching its height and whatever happens, there shall be many casualties – at this point, all most of us are wondering is whether we will die quickly and painlessly or slowly, in agony. Just know this – everything we did, everything we have done and everything we will do, is to keep you safe. Your mother loves you, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are the one I have loved more than anyone else in my difficult life. Remember that, and what we give you on this, your twenty-first – Merlin, how wonderful that sounds – will hopefully make you understand it._

_With all our love,_

_Mum and Dad_

The whole world seemed to have gone silent. Or was it just the fact that he had stopped breathing?

The package lay on the floor beside him, tipped onto its side. Teddy barely registered the fact that the letter had fallen from his numb fingers. The box was rough cardboard, and he was forced to pause for several minutes to let his hands stop shaking before he was able to rip open one side and – ever so painfully slowly – take off the lid – and in the dark room, he was nearly blinded by light.

The Pensieve was squat and almost ugly, its lackluster metal sides carved in a mimicry of leaf designs, slightly bulging on one side. Its swirling contents seemed to pulse slowly with light, turning faster as if in anticipation as Teddy's head leaned closer to it and he gazed into its depths with wide eyes.

Now all of it was easy to understand – which _memories_ to choose, Harry having added '_some of mine_' – not all of them being pleasant –

And then, inexplicably and almost against his will, a thrill of terrifying fear ran through Teddy's skull, up and down his spine. Very slowly, he edged the Pensieve, still in its box, off his lap and onto the floor beside him, swallowing as he reached out his still-lit wand – and jabbed it into the middle of the glowing memories, drawing out the wand so quickly one would think he had been burned.

For a moment, it seemed that nothing had happened at all. Teddy blinked. And then, a tiny revolving figure rose out of the mist.

It was looking like into a mirror. Remus J. Lupin couldn't have been more than sixteen years old, his face pale, his golden-brown hair thick and dark, yet already turning gray at its roots. He was standing very still, and seemed to be staring out into nothing, eyes fixed and unseeing. The figure revolved, its back was turned, and now it continued and Teddy could see his father's eyes, a brown so deep you could –

Teddy almost jumped straight out of his skin when the figure spoke.

"Why, Sirius?"

The younger Lupin almost missed the next thing Remus spoke, so preoccupied was he with the fact that he had just heard his father's voice for the first time in his life – or at least the life he could remember –

"Why?" Remus was very still, his lips barely moving, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why did you do it, Sirius? That's all I want to know."

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Teddy couldn't breathe.

"Sirius – "

Teddy's wand seemed to lash out of its own volition, and without warning or preamble, Remus Lupin melted and sank back into formless clouds of silver.

Much later, as he looked back from a safe distance, Teddy would remember that (as he numbly got to his feet and unfeelingly threw a handful of Floo powder into his fireplace) all he could think of was that he never knew his father had called his mother Dora.

"15 Godric's Hollow!"

* * *

"_Hack – _christ – bloody fire – _aaahuck!_" 

"**HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**"

Teddy looked up from the pile of soot his face had landed in – and his jaw promptly dropped. Grinning maniacally back at him were Harry, Ginny, James, Albus, Lily, Ron, Hermione, Rose, Hugo, Hagrid, Neville Longbottom, Minerva McGonagall, Bill and Fleur, Victoire, George Weasley, and Arthur and Molly Weasley.

Teddy gaped. After several moments, he managed to croak out: "_Quiet _celebration?"

Harry Potter shrugged, his smile stretching even wider. "Sorry. Little white lie. Right," Teddy's godfather continued, turning to the five young adults standing next to him, all of whom were suddenly wearing very evil-looking grins. "Get him!"

Teddy was sure in the next few minutes that he had died several times over as every inch of his body was tickled, pummeled, rubbed clean of soot, and finally dragged and deposited by force in front of the largest birthday cake he had ever seen – and having been plonked in front of Molly Weasley's cooking for several of his previous birthdays, that was saying something. Dinner was a whirlwind of deafening laughter from Hagrid and the adults, pleas from the children for various morphs, and Hermione lecturing the soon-to-be-OWL-student James on the importance of his schooling. But at the end of the table, Teddy kept seeing Harry glancing at him, his gaze almost as piercing as that of Aberforth Dumbledore at full intensity.

Teddy had almost been hoping to slip away unnoticed after the plates were cleared, the crowd had moved to the sitting room, and the dishes were quietly washing themselves in the sink – but Harry was too quick for him. Teddy had barely deposited his empty glass in the pile of dirty dishes when he turned around and found his godfather's face inches from his, examining him as though he expected his godson to explode at any moment.

"Did you get it all right?" he asked, holding out a half-full glass of firewhiskey.

Teddy nodded, taking the glass somewhat reluctantly and swirling its contents – just like the memories in the Pensieve, he remembered. "Yeah. And – I read the letters, I opened it. Yeah."

Harry cocked his head slightly to one side. "Do you want to ask me anything?" he said bluntly. Evidently he had decided that beating around the bush when it came to dead parents was not the best strategy.

Teddy shrugged, not quite sure what his godfather expected him to say. "I dunno – not really. I – I just, you know – "

"Of course."

They stood in silence

"How was it last night? The full moon, I mean?" Harry said quietly, taking a sip out of his own glass of firewhiskey and eyeing Teddy with concern.

"It was bad."

A frown descended like lightning onto Harry's scarred forehead. "You didn't – "

"No, no transformation, nothing like that," Teddy said wearily. "I was restless – couldn't sleep. Spent most of the night prowling up and down Charing Cross road, and I only felt able to go home and rest around four – oh, and my eyes got stuck on gold again, I couldn't morph them into anything else." Teddy took a large swallow from his glass, feeling the liquor burning his esophagus as it went down. "Didn't help that I wasn't able to sleep for too long – that bloody alarm clock Hermione gave me woke me up – " he could have sworn he heard Harry chuckle " – and then turns out Hestia needed me to come in, so…"

"On your day off?" Harry asked incredulously, gazing across the room to where George seemed to be slipping a grinning James a brightly-colored box. "What was so important?"

"F.A. twenty-six."

Harry's shocked gaze snapped to meet Teddy's. "You're joking."

"I wish I was," Teddy mumbled, feeling a blush of shame rushing into his cheeks. "And I let him escape, of all things."

"Oh, Teddy, don't be ridiculous – I know Greyback, he would be a nightmare to catch in the most favorable circumstances – "

"I went to the scene morphed as my dad."

Somewhere in the house, one of the younger children was shrieking in delight. The fire popped and crackled, and Teddy could see Ron laughing at something Hermione had whispered in his ear.

"Right," Harry said finally. He frowned quickly. "Wait – how did you know – "

"Kingsley told me Greyback bit him years ago. Well – I mean, I was fifteen, and Mr. Shacklebolt was humoring me, and I asked too many questions…"

There was another short silence.

"I – uh…what did Hestia say to that?"

Teddy wished he could disappear into the floor. "I'm on probation – paperwork for three weeks. She – she said – " He swallowed, and took a deep breath. "She said that not only was it demeaning to my dad's memory, but that if I had really been like my father I would have put revenge aside and done my job."

Harry's eyes flashed. "Well, that seems to me to be a bit harsh."

"She was right," Teddy said miserably. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the tips of his hair turning black. "I was reckless, personalized the mission, nearly got my partner and tens of Muggles killed, cost the Ministry a fortune in overtime for the Obliviators – I was surprised not to be sacked outright, actually…"

"What happened to Greyback?"

Teddy took another swallow of firewhiskey. "He managed to get to the Muggle subway. There was no way we could follow him down there, too many people about, and if anyone saw anything it would have been even more of a disaster than it already was."

"Ted," Harry said firmly, setting his glass down with a sharp rap on the kitchen table and turning to Teddy, folding his arms across his chest, "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Teddy scoffed bitterly. "Yeah, try telling that to Hestia – "

"I mean it," Harry continued, still in that harsh tone of voice. "If I were Hestia, I would have realized how much this would have thrown you, and I would have sent someone else. And if I were you – " here he paused, and the ghost of a smile broke out onto his face " – I would have done exactly the same thing."

The two men stood in silence for a few minutes, watching the scenes of cheerful domesticity unfolding in the sitting room. Rose and Albus were sitting together at one of the house's open bay windows, pointing their wands at fireflies in the summer night, making them zoom into their hands, where they would laugh over them for a few moments, then release them again. Molly and Arthur Weasley were sitting quietly in a corner, as if content in their old age to watch and observe the happiness of their respective relatives.

"I'm scared of that Pensieve, Harry," Teddy muttered.

"So would anyone be," Harry replied almost instantly. "There are terrible things in there, Teddy – I never looked in it, but I know from what your father and Sirius themselves told me. Besides, I learned a long time ago that there's hardly anything more terrifying than discovering that your parents are flesh and blood like anyone else."

He looked Teddy in the eye, and suddenly smiled a wide, proud smile, slightly triumphant. "But I know you will look, Teddy. You want them too much not to."

And with that and a pat on Teddy's shoulder, Harry left the kitchen to rejoin the others.

Teddy sighed and was about to drink the rest of his firewhiskey when he felt another hand on his shoulder, a hand much smaller and softer than Harry's. "Hello, you dreadfully late boy," a soft voice murmured in his ear.

He could practically hear Victoire's smile, and without meaning to he was grinning foolishly as she tugged him along a hallway and into Harry and Ginny's pantry, illuminating one of the old-fashioned lanterns in the tiny room with a flick of her wand. Kissing Victoire, he had discovered a long time ago, was certainly the best way to spend ones birthday – and yet as her arms slid around his neck in the dark, all he could think of was how his little body had rested on his father's back, his mother elbowing his father in the side, the Pensieve sitting on the floor of his flat swirling and pulsing like something alive –

Teddy felt Victoire sigh against him, and then her lips left his as she stared impassively up at him in the darkened room. Moonlight was spilling in through the window, illuminating her shining blond hair. "What," she said quietly, "did I say something?"

Teddy's mouth fell open. "No – no!" he said quickly, taking a step forward as he was suddenly overcome with guilt. She had been _snogging_ him, for god's sake – "I'm sorry, I really am, it's nothing – I just – "

A giggle floated through the room, and her face broke into a grin. "Bloody hell, it is so easy to wind you up," she said cheerfully, winding her arms around his waist and placing her chin on his chest, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "It's all right. I'm not exactly myself today either – I had a horrible time during my rounds at Mungo's today, some crazy old bloke in Spell Damage was waving his wand around and hit me with an Engorgement Charm by mistake…"

Relieved, Teddy wrapped his arms around Victoire with a chuckle and rested his cheek on top of her hair. "Wish I could have seen that."

"No you don't."

"You're right, I don't. I really am sorry – "

"Honestly, forget about it. I understand." She lifted her head and gave him one last, lingering kiss, then stepped back with a smile. "I think I'd better be off before the children corner me with Puking Pastilles again." She turned to the door, looking back over her shoulder. "I'll see you, yeah?"

"Yeah," Teddy smiled back. He managed to keep upright until she left, then sagged against the wall of the pantry as the door swung closed behind her, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

* * *

The Pensieve was still pulsing gently when he closed the door to his pitch-black flat behind him sometime after midnight, creating eerie, flickering shadows on the walls. Teddy let his cloak fall over the back of his sofa and drew his wand very slowly, sitting cross-legged in front of the silver light. The memories swirled faster, as though sensing he was near. Teddy looked up for a moment and caught a flash of his reflection in the mirror on the wall – his hair was brown, its gray roots almost the same color as the Pensieve's contents. He wasn't sure, but he thought his eyes had looked a deep blue. 

It took several deep breaths before he stopped trembling. On the last one, he closed his eyes and jerked forward, and his face felt as though it had suddenly been immersed in icy water – the room lurched, he was falling, wind tearing at his hair and clothes – he was falling, falling –

– and he landed in a pile on the floor of a forest, spitting out leaves and dirt.

Teddy slowly pulled himself to his feet, his tired muscles screaming in protest and exhaustion. His eyes darted around him – trees enclosed him, full and heavy with rich, green summer leaves. It was warm, and a soft wind was blowing, pushing his hair off his forehead. A break in the trees, Teddy thought he could see a small thread of smoke reaching into the sky some ways off, as though from a chimney. It was nearly nightfall.

"_Are you going to Scarborough Fair – _"

The small, lilting voice seemed to drift down from the swiftly darkening sky. Teddy craned his head backwards, peering into the leafy branches spread out in sharp relief across the sunset.

"_ – parsley-sage, rosemary, and thyme…_"

Teddy almost ran to the base of the old oak tree, hauling himself, panting, through the layers of leaves, cursing impatiently as his feet scrabbled to find niches in the thick bark.

"…_remember me to one who lives there – _"

The voice was louder and closer now – Teddy made one last huge effort, straining upwards to shove his head through a thick level of foliage –

"…_she was once a true love of mine._"

And Teddy Lupin found himself suddenly dangling in front of the thin face of his five year old father, glowing in the dying light.

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! Remember, reviews are like chocolate...and they make me write much faster!!! (hint hint...:D)**


	4. Chapter 3: Beginning

Just a quick A/N to make the following chapters read more smoothly, as many characters have similar names: from now on, any mentions of relatives or family members will be as they relate to Teddy. For example: 'his father' will refer to Remus, Remus's father will be 'Remus's father'. Ted Tonks will be 'Teddy's grandfather' or 'Dora's father', etc. to avoid confusion. This chapter's a little bit shorter than the others, but I think it makes up for it in intensity…Thanks!

**Mei fa-chan:** Thanks!!

**Brinkley:** Lol, rather more typos in this last chapter than I would have liked! But I think I got most of them fixed. Thank you so much for your review!

**Jarlaxle Baenre:** Wow, I'm so flattered! I actually borrowed the terrifying parents sentiment from Frank Herbert, author of _Dune_ and its sequels – "_There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man – with human flesh._" I thought it definitely applied to Harry, and soon it will to Teddy as well. Thank you so much, and I hope you keep enjoying the story!

**aryell:** Augh, I would die if I had no internet for ten days… poor you! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter when you get back. :)

**RavenPaine:** Haha, I think the updates will be coming a bit more slowly now…partly due to the fact that I have no idea where this story is going. Maybe this will help…thanks for your review!

**eris:** Thank you!!

**Kates Master:** Thanks for your review!

**Alone All Along:** I read the interview with JKR about all the post-Hogwarts stuff literally FIVE minutes after I'd posted the first chapter (with Hestia as Head Auror, Kingsley, etc) – I was a bit miffed, to be honest, but as far as the books are concerned, I think I can still be classified as canon in this story. Thanks! (on a totally random note, I was wondering…is your username from the Evanescence lyric?)

**tonksrulez:** Thanks! And Tonks rulez the world. :)

**The Sushi Monster:** Teddy/Victoire makes me squee so hard, I couldn't resist! Thanks for reading!

**theLouvre:** Oh darling, I just realized you're gone and now I feel awful… talk to me, yeah? Facebook, IM? I miss you!!! (**gives heaploads of cookies for the pretty comments**)

**Ember Nickel:** Thank you! I hope you read on… :)

**Nightleo:** Thanks for your review!! Here's more!

**teddy fan:** Yeah, I know Victoire isn't really French…but having parents as cool, popular, and attractive as Bill and Fleur, I reckoned she'd put one on in front of strangers for fun… Teddy knows her real voice, though. That's why I had the "I know you better" line from Teddy in the prologue. I'm glad you liked the story!

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**SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ DEATHLY HALLOWS.**

**Disclaimer:** The HP universe and all its characters belong to JKRowling. I am merely squatting. OCs are mine, and will be obvious.

* * *

**Dies Veritas**

**Chapter 3: Beginning**

Five-year-old Remus Lupin's pale brow was contracted in tiny folds as he pored over the huge book perched on his lap, the cover so large it almost seemed larger than the little boy himself. He chewed his lip for a few moments, then laboriously turned a page with one skinny, long-fingered hand, his deep brown eyes squinting to take in the tiny words. "In six-teen twen-ty, the gob-lins once more rose in – " his frown deepened as he spelled the words out loud in a small, quiet voice " – re-volt. Revolt. A-gainst the – "

Teddy hung from the branch, speechless. It was only after several minutes and a painstaking recounting of all the goblin rebellions of the early seventeenth century that he realized his arms were shaking, his muscles giving way from the strain of dangling from the branch he was so desperately clutching. Panting slightly, he hauled himself painfully up so he was straddling the branch, shaking his hair out of his eyes.

This task done, he peered cautiously at his father, sticking his hands firmly into the pockets of his jeans to keep them from trembling. His head felt strange – as though it had been stuffed, crammed full of cotton wool and too much happiness, too much fear, too much of a sense that this was just _weird._ Happiness bobbed up, only to be replaced by a thick, heavy feeling creeping down into his throat. He would not cry, he _would not cry…_

Remus had paused an instant, his mouth slightly open, tracing a long word on the paper in front of him with a small, pale finger. "Ac – ack-cord – "

Teddy leaned forward, his face a mere few inches from his father's. He could see his deathly white face reflected in Remus's eyes – he wasn't sure if that was possible, this was a memory, after all, but he was not about to complain – and his mouth opened, and he spoke.

"According," he whispered softly.

"Ac-cor-ding…" his father said an instant later, his face lighting up with childish triumph at the feat of conquering the mighty three-syllable word.

A little gust of cool evening wind gusted through the branches of the tree, and Remus's light-brown bangs were lifted a little ways off his forehead. The forest was darkening swiftly now, and the last beams of light hit the pages of the huge book in a mottled pattern through the leaves. Swallowing hard, Teddy took his right hand out of his pocket and reached forward –

"_Remus!_" A voice suddenly drifted through the air, and Teddy nearly fell off the branch in shock as his father's head tilted upwards, listening intently.

"Remus!" the voice called again, a man's voice, hoarse and yet strong. "Come on, time for supper!"

Little Remus was suddenly a bustle of movement. The huge tome banged shut, dust drifting from its ancient pages – and then, to Teddy's utter astonishment, as it went against everything he knew about his father's love of learning, the little boy steadied himself against the tree branch and tossed the book down onto the dark forest floor below, where it landed on several tree roots with a crack. Remus followed a moment later with a tiny impish grin on his thin face, hurtling through the gathering dark down the tree trunk in a clambering slide.

It took the gaping Teddy until Remus had picked up the book and started to trot down a well-worn path before he himself scampered down from the tree and landed with a most undignified thump on his backside. Picking himself up hastily, he quickly caught up to Remus with his long stride. As he came alongside the boy, who was tottering slightly under the weight of his book, he heard him singing again, the strange song that sounded as though Teddy had heard it in a dream –

"_Have her_ _find me an acre of land – parsley-sage, rosemary and thyme…_"

Teddy could not help a grin from breaking out on his face, stretching his mouth until it hurt. He could scarcely remember being so happy – with the little brown-eyed boy walking slowly next to him through the dusk, he could imagine it all, the boy growing and changing, becoming a man, holding Teddy's own little body in his arms. He could imagine it all.

"_Between the sea and oe'r the sand – then she'll be a true love of mine_."

And that's when Teddy felt the Darkness.

"_Love imposes impossible tasks – parsley-sage, rosemary and thyme…_"

All the light that was left in the forest vanished suddenly behind clouds. The sun had set. Teddy looked at the little boy next to him – Remus continued walking, unconcerned, his tiny face completely at peace, plodding steadily towards where the branches thinned, and Teddy fancied he could make out a tumbledown shape, a trail of chimney smoke, a white picket fence. His hands and feet suddenly felt cold.

"_Although not more than any heart asks – and I must know she's a true love of mine._"

A branch cracked from behind the walking pair. Teddy's head jerked around, but Remus didn't seem to have noticed anything. Fractured thoughts began to swirl in Teddy's head – he's the right age, it's almost night, important memories, it's almost night –

"_Have you been to Scarborough Fair – _"

A blurred shape appeared out of nowhere, and Teddy found himself smacked hard onto the dirt below him. A startled scream burst out from where Remus had been standing, and a thud echoed through the forest – the book falling to the ground, or at least that's what Teddy desperately hoped it was – he looked up.

At first, all he saw was a little pair of trainer-clad feet dangling some three feet off the ground. He heard a tiny choking sound, and as his eyes traveled further he made out a gargantuan pair of bare feet, bare calves vanishing into a gigantic leather coat which, for one absurd moment, made him think of Rubeus Hagrid. Even the silhouette reminded him of the half-giant gamekeeper – the wild tangles of bushy hair, the fierce face, the huge, ham-like hands which were holding his father by his fragile throat with such ease.

It was the eyes which let him know that Fenrir Greyback was not half-giant, nor was he kind or compassionate or any other adjective that could be applied to any human or beast. The were shining gold, a gold which neither gave warmth nor comforted, glowing dully as if tainted by pure evil – which, Teddy thought (he certainly was having a rather inappropriate number of irrelevant thoughts for the situation), they probably were.

Before Teddy could even contemplate lifting himself off the ground, the voice he and Remus had heard earlier burst through the trees once again. "Remus!" it called, now suddenly tinged with fear and panic. "Remus, where are you?"

Remus, his small fingers tugging ineffectively at the hands which were slowly turning his face a dark purple, managed to choke out a sound, his eyes wide and terrified. A woman's voice suddenly joined that of the man's, her tone too filled with terror – "Remus, darling? Can you hear us?"

Remus's horrified eyes flickered to meet those of his captor as Teddy hunched on the ground, unable to move. A deep, reverberating chuckle seemed to force its way up through Greyback's chest and out his mouth, echoing slightly around the dark trees. He suddenly clasped the little boy's body to his, lowering his lips until they growled in Remus's ear.

"Can you hear them, boy?" he hissed. Teddy lurched to his feet – rage was building up in his ears, making his blood pound – he could feel it in his hands, his face seemed to be swelling in anger – he wanted to kill Greyback, he wanted to tear at him, maul him –

"Can you hear your darling dad?" the voice continued mockingly. "Your dad did wrong by me, little boy. Did you know that?"

Remus, kept silent by Greyback's crushing grip, could barely shake his head. His entire body was shaking. The horrible laugh forced its way out Greyback's slash of a mouth once more.

"Well," he said softly, almost gently – "Now you do. And you will, for a very, very long time, little boy."

Teddy could see his father shivering. In the distance, he could still hear the panicked voice of the man and woman – his grandparents, he thought dimly – calling again and again, but somehow they weren't getting any closer.

A thud shuddered through the forest floor and little Remus shook on his hands and knees, drawing great gasping breaths of air as he gazed up at his attacker with a kind of horrified fascination. The sky was starting to brighten – but not with sunlight.

"Run, little boy," the werewolf growled. Teddy fancied he could already hear Greyback's voice becoming deeper, the series of terrible _cracks_ as bones were broken and realigned – "I want to see you run for me."

A shriek of agony, mixed perversely with pleasure, rang out through the trees as the werewolf began to transform in earnest. Remus remained where he was on the forest floor for one terrifying moment, his eyes stretched so wide Teddy was sure they would pop straight out of their sockets.

He found himself yelling nonsense, trying to pick up his father and run, but his hands, though they grasped the material of Remus's shirt easily enough, could not make him move. "_Come on, Dad!_" he heard himself scream, forcing himself not to look behind him, where snarls and growls were beginning to emit from the leather-clad heap that was Greyback.

And suddenly the little body was moving, streaking through the trees, leaping and stumbling over roots and branches – Teddy ran with him, finding it hard for him to keep up with the terrified boy –

"_Mum! Dad!_" he heard Remus scream as they dashed pell-mell along the path. Teddy thought he could hear cries of relief not far off, and for a moment he allowed himself to hope, to dream, that it was just all a nightmare, that Remus would be saved and he and Teddy's grandparents would all stroll home to dinner…

And his thoughts were shattered into millions of irreparable, agonizing pieces as the werewolf sailed over Remus's head, landing lightly for a creature of its immense size and turning so quickly that the little boy could not stop in time, skidding forward through the piles of dry leaves, his face set in terror.

And Teddy closed his eyes.

He did not see the huge teeth sink ravenously into Remus's side, but he did hear the seemingly never-ending scream.

He did not see his father's body crumple to the ground as the werewolf stood over him, but he smelt the scent of blood.

He did not see the werewolf sink his teeth deeper into the flesh and start to drag the little body further into the woods, but he felt the wind as the wolf brushed past.

And all he could think was _Teddy you coward coward coward coward_ –

"_**GET OFF MY SON, YOU FILTHY BASTARD!!!**_"

Teddy's eyes flew open almost against his will. A tall, lean shape was hurling itself through the trees, to where the wolf was dragging Remus along the ground, his eyes wide open and staring out of his white face. The man stretched out his hand as he hurtled along, and Teddy saw the outstretched wand. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

The jet of green light flew towards the werewolf, hit its thick hide – and bounced. Teddy remembered, in a flash of absurd clarity, the DADA class where they had discussed the werewolf's ability to deflect most curses.

But the man was not finished yet. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" – a rock on the forest floor, which must have weighed at least 50 pounds, rose up – "_Bombarda!_"

The rock hit the werewolf's spine with the force of a sledgehammer, and Teddy thought he heard the crack of bone breaking. Instantly, the blood-drenched teeth where lifted from Remus's side, and the wolf let out a howl of agony – as the wounded beast leaped forward, the tall wizard was not able to retreat completely from the claws which raked across his chest, and he fell back with a cry of pain – but not before he had cast his next spell, and Teddy had to leap out of the way as a tree trunk nearby came crashing down – the werewolf was turning, it was bleeding, it was turning and running away –

But Teddy felt strangely shimmery. The memory seemed to be fading around the edges, the forest blurring as though something was wrong with his eyes. He looked down, and as the memory faded, he saw his father's eyes staring up at him, slowly glazing over as Teddy's grandfather crawled close to him, sobbing and pointing his wand at his son's tattered chest, muttering desperate spells.

And then the memory faded completely, and Teddy was surrounded by white mist.

* * *

"Please, sir, you must tell us if there is anything you can do for him – "

"Tested positive at Mungo's, did he?"

"Yes, sir, but he hasn't transformed yet and we hoped – "

"Look, Mr. – ah, Lupin – we at this Institute cannot concern ourselves with hopeless cases. Though I sympathize with you in spirit, your son has become a Dark Creature. All I can recommend is the services the Ministry has to offer for those who become dangerous at every full moon…"

"That's it?"

"Kate, please – "

"No, I won't be quiet, John! How _dare_ you talk about our son that way, Mr. Hathers, he's no more a 'Dark Creature' than you or I – "

"You are a Muggle, I take it, Mrs. Lupin?"

"What has that got to do with my son?"

"Well, ah – it seems to me, that, not being of the Wizarding World, you can hardly understand the implications of such an _undesirable_ condition – "

"_Bastard!_"

_A little boy standing alone in a cellar, trembling – a tear sliding silently down his cheek, a sudden rigidness as a tiny beam of silver light thrust through cracks in a crumbling stone wall – screams and blood and incomprehension, trying to understand why –_

Teddy was not fully aware of himself or what he was doing for a long time.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah… that was harder to write than I thought it would be, and I hope people didn't find it **_**too **_**upsetting or violent, although it is a violent and upsetting topic. I never thought it was clear in the books whether one could touch and feel people or objects in a Pensieve, so I just decided they could – hence how Teddy could grab Remus, but he obviously couldn't change a memory, and so Remus didn't move. **

**Remember, R-E-V-I-E-W-S make Centimetre happy! Give them to her:D**


	5. Chapter 4: Trials

has informed me that this story has garnered over 3,000 hits – and all I have to say is, WOW!!! I've never gotten so much attention for a story of mine – thank you all so much!!! 

On a sidenote, if anyone reading this is interested in reading more of my fic, I posted the first chapter of another HP fanfic, about the Hogwarts Founders! Just a warning if anyone does want to read it – I AU-ified the story a bit, and set it during the Norman invasion of England, so it is rated M for violence and other adult themes. _Mirabile Dictu_ (yes, I have a fetish for Latin titles) is accessible from my profile…and I'll stop plugging myself now…

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**SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ DEATHLY HALLOWS.**

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. More's the pity – I'd like a little pet Teddy…or a pet Remus… :D

* * *

**Dies Veritas**

**Chapter 4: Trials**

When Teddy's head had finally stopped reeling from the horror of his father's worst nightmare – no, not a nightmare, a cold, ruthless reality – he found himself in a small bedroom, the light of the setting sun slowly dying as it shone through flimsy curtains. Outside, the indistinct shapes of houses clustered around the one Teddy found himself in loomed out of a thin fog.

Looking around him, Teddy took in a small bed, covered with a down quilt – a bookcase, stuffed with thick volumes, and, incongruously, a child's drawing-book, the sort of thing Teddy had been given as a five-year-old to amuse himself without the benefits of magic. A somewhat threadbare carpet was spread on the floor – the bedside table held yet another book – _Hogwarts: A History_ – and a sputtering candle.

Teddy broke off from his observations as he heard quiet steps coming towards the closed door of the room, and a small voice called out.

"No really, mum, I'm all right – really, I promise. I'll just go to bed, I'll be fine tomorrow…"

The door swung open, and ten-year old Remus Lupin walked quietly into the room. His hair was longer, falling into his eyes – he seemed skeletally thin, his elbows and knees sticking out clearly through his jeans and oversized t-shirt. Bandages were wrapped around both his wrists, stained with rusty blotches, and Teddy though he could see another through the collar of his shirt. Scars criss-crossed his face, some recent and angry red, others fading into thin white lines.

Teddy stared as his father crossed the room and sat very slowly down on the bed, which creaked in protest. He could not see Remus's eyes through the small boy's heavy bangs, which seemed to have been brushed down expressly for the purpose of hiding himself away from the world.

The contemplative silence of the evening was not to last, however – Teddy's sharp ears picked out the sudden sound of a crowd of tramping feet from outside the window, and he saw that Remus had heard too – the boy's head snapped up, and his brown eyes reflected the light from the candle. Then Teddy's nose picked out a most disturbing scent – smoke, and a lot of it. Flickering lights were dancing outside the window, and Remus hesitated a moment, then stood, crossing the room cautiously towards the window – but he never reached it.

A huge crash resounded through the room, and Teddy and Remus both cried out in shock. A huge brick thudded to the wooden floor, ending its flight through the glass pane of the window. Remus fell to the ground in a shower of glass shards, shielding his head in his arms. Teddy dashed over to the window, and saw to his horror a huge crowd standing outside, and several feet below – in the small, crooked street outside, framed by the looming houses, stood several dozen cloaked figures, many of them holding lit torches. Teddy could just make out what they were shouting –

"_Filthy half-breeds!_" "_Spawn of a Dark Creature!_" "_Kill it! Kill the beast!_"

Teddy jumped back from the window in rage, but not before he saw several of the figures lift their wands and send jets of blazing fire towards the – wooden – cottage in which Remus was huddling on the floor. The flames quickly caught, and soon Remus was coughing fiercely as tendrils of black smoke wafted through the floorboards from below.

"Remus!" cried out a voice, and the bedroom door burst open in a cloud of smoke and racking coughs as a woman, athletically thin and dressed in Muggle jeans, rushed into the room, her dark-brown hair swinging about her face. Remus darted out from where he was crouched in the broken glass around him towards her, and Kate Lupin (_my grandmother_, thought Teddy with a thrill) caught him in a fierce protective embrace. A second brick crashed through the other pane of the little window, showering mother and son with another cascade of glass shards.

"Of all the times your father chooses to be away!" Kate said with false cheerfulness, almost having to yell over the din of the gathered crowd outside, who from the crashes down the stairs had now seemed to have taken to battering at the cottage's wooden door. "And me a silly Muggle," Kate continued as she held Remus's head in the crook of her shoulder, keeping him away from the smoke. She was smiling grimly, as though desperately trying to reassure herself as well as her son.

With a pang of horror, Teddy suddenly glimpsed the flames from below licking at the bedroom door, which had been left ajar when Kate dashed through it. New billows of smoke poured into the room, and both Kate and Remus started to cough fiercely, Remus doubling up in pain as the clouds of soot hit his already raw lungs.

The sudden _crack!_ of someone Apparating into the house sent a surge of relief flooding through Teddy, as did the new voice – "Bloody hell!" he heard John Lupin cry out, his tone filled with shock at having suddenly appeared in the middle of a conflagration in his living room. Steps pounded up the stairs, and the tall shape of a man – one which Teddy had last seen battling a werewolf on a moonlit night – leapt agilely over the wall of flames and into Remus's bedroom, immediately rushing over to where Kate and Remus huddled on the floor.

The only word which Teddy could think of to describe his grandfather was 'rangy'. John Lupin was tall and lean, his limbs beneath his neatly patched robes, button-down shirt and chinos stripped of any fat or excess flesh. His face was chiseled and brown, his sandy hair – almost the exact color of his son's – hanging over into his eyes. Remus, it seemed to Teddy, had inherited John's father's hair and thin physique, but Kate's deep-brown eyes…

John held his wand tightly in one hand, and was batting at a patch of cinders which had fallen on his robes with the other, reducing them to tiny wisps of smoke. Seizing Remus around his shoulders and clasping him close to his chest, he yelled "Kate, grab hold of me!"

Kate instantly reached out and twined her arms about her husband's neck, and all three Lupins simultaneously squeezed their eyes shut. Teddy felt a sudden lurch around his middle, and suddenly felt as though he were being squeezed through a long black tunnel –

The Side-Along Apparition suddenly ended, and four bodies tumbled to the ground in a silent, grassy field, dew coating the ground and the green shoots.

It took Teddy a few moments to catch his breath, and so he lay still, arms and legs outstretched on the ground, looking up at a night sky covered in stars far brighter than what he normally saw from his London flat. Everything was unnaturally quiet, only the vague shadow of a distant cow lowing breaking out every several seconds.

Then he heard Remus cough, and the sound of someone weeping quietly. He sat up slowly, his muscles protesting at being slammed into the hard ground beneath him, and looked round, his eyes searching frantically for the shapes of his family members.

John was half-sitting up, obviously having been the cushion for the landing of his wife and son. He supported himself on one hand, his legs trapped beneath Kate, who had one arm still around his neck. Her face was buried in his shoulder as she cried, and John murmured words of reassurance in her ear, kissing her forehead. Remus was clasped close to both of them under Kate's other arm. He still coughed occasionally, looking pale and sick as he gazed worriedly up at his parents, almost – Teddy blanched at the thought – as though he was looking for a sign that they would not be angry with him – as though the little boy, blame- and guilt-less, thought the events of the evening had been entirely his fault.

John seemed to have caught sight of his son's guilt-stricken face, and he sat up further, freeing his hand from underneath him so he could take Remus's arm and draw him close, laying his chin on top of Remus's head. "Thank Merlin you're safe," he whispered, pressing a kiss into his son's hair.

Teddy watched as Remus's tense body seemed to relax instantly as his father whispered those words, and his eyes slipped shut in peaceful relief. Kate, smiling through her tears, curved her arm around both her husband and son, rocking all three of them gently back and forth.

The memory faded into dark mist.

Once again, the memories cleared to a bedroom, but this one was much smaller, more cramped. Remus, looking just a little bit older than the previous memory, was kneeling on the floor, stuffing several shirts and books into a canvas bag, which looked as though it would fall apart at any moment.

Looking curiously at his father, who was moving cautiously as though to make sure he didn't make any noise, Teddy moved over to a large, filthy window on one side of the room and looked out. He was once again in a two-story wooden house, but this one stood on its own on the edge of a field, surrounded by a small garden. Beyond lay a forest, the leaves of the trees thick and heavy with summer.

A small thud from behind Teddy made him turn. Remus fastened his bag shut, having to force the materiel somewhat to get it to close around its bulky contents. Taking a long look around him, Remus sighed and stood, picking up the bag with some effort.

To say that Teddy was astonished when Remus calmly dropped the canvas bag out the window, then clambered onto the windowsill and jumped headlong after it, would have been the understatement of the century. Teddy leapt to the window with a shout of horror – a shout he realized no one would hear – he stared down the two-story drop and Remus's tumbling form. The bag thudded to earth, and a moment later, so did Remus – or at least, Remus would have, had he not suddenly twisted in the air and landed on his hands and knees with nothing more than a small puff of dust and absolutely no sound whatsoever. Teddy gaped as his father slowly picked himself up, with only tiny scratches where there should have been broken bones. Evidently, Teddy mused, some physical aspects of the werewolf were apparent even in its human form – but from the look on the young Remus's face as he made his way silently to the edge of the small garden, the canvas bag over his shoulder, these abilities were not considered a boon.

Teddy made his way quickly down the stairs of the rickety house, almost falling in a ragged gap in the wooden staircase. Kate was sitting at a tiny kitchen table, running her thin hands tiredly through her graying hair. John was nowhere in sight as Teddy ran through the open doorway and trotted around to the side of the house. Neither of Remus's parents seemed to have realized that there son had just taken a walk into thin air, but Teddy was coming to suspect that that was what the young boy had wanted.

Remus was standing at the far edge of the garden, partly obscured by wildly-growing bushes. The canvas bag was dangling from his hand as he looked back at his home, his pale face distorted with an odd mix of sorrow and childish determination. After a long minute, the boy shook himself as though to clear his mind of all thought and hoisted the bag back over his shoulder, turning and tramping quickly into the undergrowth behind Rose Cottage, vanishing quickly into the great trees of the nearby forest. Teddy followed.

For several minutes, Teddy trailed his father through several glades and crossing a few rugged paths, passing through dappled beams of noontime light shining brightly through the leafy cover, all the time heading further and further away from the cottage. Teddy was sure now – Remus was running, running away from home – but _why _on earth would he –

His thoughts were cut short as a _crack_ echoed through the glade they were passing through, sounding exactly like the sound of someone Apparating. In a flash of movement, Remus bounded up a nearby tree trunk, hauling the bag up with him and disappearing into the branches. Teddy turned around sharply, scanning the trees for danger.

"Hello, young Remus," a quiet, firm voice called from the opposite side of the tree. There was silence for a moment, and Teddy took the opportunity to edge around the tree trunk, peering to see who it was who somehow knew his father's name.

His jaw promptly dropped.

Sitting on a wide rock at the tree's base, clad in deep purple robes and his blue eyes twinkling in the summer sun, was Albus Dumbledore, as alive and magnificent as he was in his portrait at Hogwarts – a portrait which Teddy, being the great prankster of his class, had had several opportunities to scrutinize during his frequent trips to the Headmistress's office.

There was another moment of quiet. Then the leaves above Teddy rustled, and out popped Remus's head, the expression on his face every bit as shocked and surprised as Teddy was sure his own was. The rest of Remus slowly followed as he disentangled himself from the leaves and branches around him and made his way carefully down the tree trunk, leaving his bag of books and clothes tucked away out of sight above him. As he reached the ground, Dumbledore smiled at him kindly, taking out a small bag from his robes. "Would you like a lemon drop?"

Remus stared for a moment, his mouth half-open, then blinked and mumbled, "No thank you, sir."

Dumbledore sighed. "No one ever does," he said sorrowfully. "Ah well." He popped one of the sugary sweets in his mouth, leaving Remus to regard him as one would an exotic, brightly-colored animal – with amazement, awe, and not a little bit of fear.

"You're Professor Dumbledore," Remus suddenly burst out.

"Yes, last time I looked," Dumbledore said genially.

The two stayed quiet for a moment, staring at each other. Then Dumbledore spoke, and it seemed to Teddy that Remus had almost jumped out of his skin. "May I ask where you are going?" the professor asked kindly.

Remus swallowed nervously. His eyes looked at a point beyond Dumbledore's shoulder. Teddy thought he looked guilty.

"Away, sir."

"Do your parents know where you are?"

Remus seemed to shrink within his clothes, and his face lost what little color it had. "No, sir."

"Ah," Dumbledore replied, inscrutable as legend had him.

Remus looked down at the leaves beneath his feet, and when he spoke next Teddy barely heard his tiny whisper. "I'm a danger to them."

"How so?" Dumbledore said, as though asking the time of day.

Remus's head sunk, if it was possible, even lower. "I'm a werewolf, sir."

"I know."

"People hate me."

"I know that too – much to my dismay, in fact."

"They hurt my parents while they're trying to hurt me."

"A regrettable side effect, but only to be expected."

Remus's head snapped up angrily, and Teddy was no less infuriated at the former Hogwarts Headmaster. How could he sit there smiling and sucking on his blasted lemon drop, pretending this was nothing? "_Side effect, _sir?" Remus asked incredulously.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, keeping his kind smile. "You are not at fault for what happened to you, Remus, nor are you responsible for the burden your parents carry."

"It – it's not good for them," Remus said somewhat wildly, his eyes darting in confusion around Dumbledore's face. "They don't need me, they'd be better off without me – "

"Have you ever _asked_ them if they'd be better off without you?" Dumbledore asked softly.

Remus was silent.

"No," Dumbledore said softly. "You haven't. Because you know what their answer will be, don't you?"

Remus mutely nodded his head.

"And yet you want to leave them anyway."

Lupin's head snapped up. "Of course I don't _want_ to!! It's just – better," he finished lamely.

Silence fell on the little glade. For several moments, Teddy could do nothing more than stare. He had shut his eyes during the memory of Remus being bitten, of Remus transforming for the first time – and he realized then that he had absolutely no idea what his father had suffered. That an eleven-year-old boy had consciously decided to run away from home – and from a loving family, one that had endured shame and attacks from others for him, the fact that the little boy felt he was a danger, that he was a monster – Teddy was torn between twisted happiness that he was not as cursed and overwhelming, deep shame that he thought his father was 'cursed' in the first place. He was brought back to himself when he heard Remus's feet shuffling nervously in the leaves on the forest floor, and a bird sang above the group, unaware of the tension below.

"You may be wondering why I'm here, young Remus," Dumbledore said suddenly – making sure, it seemed to Teddy at least, to keep his voice clear and kind.

"Yessir," Remus said quietly, still staring at his feet as though afraid he would be punished if he looked at Dumbledore again.

Dumbledore sucked on his lemon drop, seeming to consider a moment, then abruptly reached into his robes and held out a thick parchment envelope. Teddy's heart leapt as he recognized the heavy black seal. Remus reached out and took it, scrutinized the address, written in bottle-green ink – _Remus J. Lupin, A treetop in the woods, Cornwall, England_ – and then turned it over, revealing the entwined lion, snake, badger, and eagle. The little werewolf's jaw promptly dropped, and remained that way for several long, silent seconds.

"You – you've got to be joking," Remus finally choked out, trying to keep his tone steady – but Teddy heard how his father's voice seemed to rise several notes, as though suppressing a great wave of emotion, of _hope_ –

"I can assure you I am not," Dumbledore said lightly.

Remus gaped at the smiling headmaster. "I – I can't go to school, I've never been able to go to a Muggle one – there's no way, people would know, and I'd miss class – "

"The arrangements have already been made, Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore interrupted, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. "A passageway has been established which leads off of school grounds to the place where you will transform. All the teachers have been informed, and all of them eventually agreed to teach you. A veritable arsenal of potions has been specially ordered by Madam Pomfrey, our school nurse, for your use before and after the transformations. Secrecy might be a problem, but I have no doubt that discretion will triumph." Dumbledore's smile widened. "All that remains, dear boy, is for you to agree to come."

Remus, Teddy saw, seemed very close to dropping the envelope, standing slack-jawed and wide-eyed. "You – " Remus gulped. "You did all that – for me?"

"Naturally," said Dumbledore instantly. "The Ministry was a bit more difficult to convince, but as you will not be on school grounds during your transformations they have no legal ground for any kind of protest."

Remus, Teddy saw suddenly, was flushed – whether with fear or ecstatic happiness he couldn't tell. "Why?" Remus whispered.

Dumbledore's smile softened from something slightly manic to real concern and fondness. "Why _not_, little Remus?" he replied, just as quietly.

Teddy was getting used to waiting through long pauses in the memories – but this one, at least, was worth the wait. Remus's face broke out, for what seemed to be the first time, in a wide, completely genuine smile, his eyes shining with happiness. The only other time he had seen his father smile, Teddy realized with a pang of grief, was in the photographs he had at home when he was holding either Teddy himself or his mother Dora…

Dumbledore had noticed the change in Remus's expression. "I'll take that as a yes, then," the old professor said cheerfully, standing up and tucking the bag of lemon drops back inside his robes. "Now then – _Accio!_" the bag of clothes and books soared out of the tree into Dumbledore's hands. Remus's face was suddenly stricken with guilt – Dumbledore saw that too, and another murmured spell shrank the bag to the size of a thimble, which fit easily into the pocket of Remus's jeans.

"They do not need to know, do they?" Dumbledore said gently. "Let's be off."

They walked in silence for several minutes, Remus in his excitement easily keeping up with Dumbledore's long strides. Teddy could see that each was subtly glancing at the other – Remus at Dumbledore with almost hero worship, Dumbledore at Remus with an appraising, slightly impressed glance – Teddy was sure, as Rose Cottage came into view through the trees, that Dumbledore had seen the titles of the scholarly tomes hidden away in Remus's canvas bag.

"Mum! Dad!" Remus yelled happily as he broke from Dumbledore's side and ran towards the cottage. Kate and John quickly appeared in the doorway, darting glances around them until they made out the figure of Remus coming towards them. "I'm in Hogwarts! Dad, Professor Dumbledore said I could go, _I can go_!"

Kate said "Professor Dumbledore?" at the exact moment that John cried "Blimey!", both their voices filled with surprise and joy as Remus dashed up to them and threw himself into Kate's waiting arms.

"A very good afternoon to you, Mrs. Lupin. Ah, and young John," the arriving Dumbledore said jovially, looking fondly over the little family tableau. "I still remember that lark of yours with the Stinksap exploding out of the teachers' bowls of pea soup – I must admit, compared to that the pranks at Hogwarts recently have been of a rather tepid nature. Perhaps your son will once again raise the standard, eh?" he finished, winking at Remus.

"Pardon?" Remus said, sounding shocked and not a little curious as he stared in amazement at his father from his mother's strong embrace. "Dad, what's he – "

"Now now, Albus," John said quickly as he enthusiastically shook the headmaster's hand, grinning madly – Teddy was delighted to see a faint blush spreading over his grandfather's cheekbones. "Don't corrupt the lad before he's even been sorted…"

The joyful scene dissolved into a patchwork of images, swirling around Teddy in a strange maelstrom – glimpses of Diagon Alley, filled with splashes of color and sound in all shades, shapes and sizes – Gringott's, where the door to Vault 1287 was slowly swinging open to reveal a tiny pile of dusty silver and gold – a pile of new books standing on the floor in Remus's ramshackle room, another sitting perched on Remus's lap as he sat on his floor surrounded by his trunk, robes, parchment, and quills…

The memories finally cleared and solidified, and Teddy found himself in very familiar surroundings – the stone walls were slightly less dingy, the concrete floor cleaner, but the Hogwarts Express was exactly the same. Families rushed here and there as steam billowed from the engine, little children and taller young adults clambering into compartments, chasing each other round the platform, and sending sparks into the air in celebration of a new license to cast spells on each other.

A few feet away stood the only people Teddy was concerned about – Remus was already dressed in his school robes, and Kate's eyes were shining as she smoothed his hair – Remus, like every other boy his age, tried to twist away, protesting at being mothered over in public. John was just finishing hauling Remus's stuffed trunk into the train, a somewhat dilapidated suitcase with the shining new letters _R. J. Lupin_ stamped on the corner. His task complete, John returned to his family and clapped Remus proudly on the shoulder.

"On you get, son," he said kindly, smiling softly. "Make sure you write, or I'll come up there and beat your news out of you, understand?"

Remus laughed, and the sound made Teddy's head feel light. "All right, dad, I will. And I'll make sure to tell you about the – arrangements."

"Right," Kate said. A tear streaked down her cheek. Remus stared at it uncomfortably until Kate leaned forward and kissed her son on the cheek, pushing his gently towards the train. "Go on, then."

Remus turned with a grin and jumped onto the train, which was already starting to move slowly, picking up speed. Teddy had a job of catching up to it, but eventually managed to launch himself in through one of the open carriage doors, just in time to see Remus pause at the door to a compartment at the very end of a train. His smile had vanished and he seemed pale and nervous.

"Er – d'you mind if I sit in here? Everywhere else seems to be full," he said quietly. Teddy forced his way through the crowd of students to the open compartment, and caught sight of two dark-haired boys sitting on either side of the compartment's window, their heads close together as though they had been whispering. Both wore identical roguish grins. Teddy's breath caught in his throat.

He almost started forward in recognition, pulling himself back a moment later when he realized that _this_ Harry Potter's eyes were hazel, not green. James Potter's hair, glasses, and thin frame looked exactly like old newspaper photos Teddy had seen of his godfather Harry, but the impish grin was something new. Sirius Black's hair was longer, falling into his eyes with impunity, and Teddy could see, even at eleven years old, how the little boy would grow into the daredevil charmer Harry had told him bedtime stories about when he was young.

The two pranksters looked at each other, then shrugged almost simultaneously. "Sure," James drawled. "No problem – come in."

"Thanks," Remus said quietly, entering the compartment and sitting as far away from the two boys as he could without seeming rude. Sirius and James, after a few furtive glances in Remus's direction, bent close together again and resumed their whispering. Teddy look the opportunity to seat himself next to his father, watching how Remus's eyes frequently passed over the other two boys with a longing expression.

As the train began to pick up speed, the quiet was shattered as the compartment door suddenly slammed open, making all three boys within jump. A small, panting, fat boy practically fell in, followed by three young boys in dark robes. Two were slightly pudgy and menacing-looking, while the third was short, skinny, and endowed with quite phenomenally greasy hair. Teddy, James and Sirius looked up, and immediately burst out laughing – for the greasy-haired boy was also sporting an outstanding mustache, which seemed to be growing longer and curlier by the moment. Remus frowned slightly.

"You dirty little swine!" the greasy boy shouted at the fat one, who had taken to cringing and sobbing with fear on one of the seats. "Look what you've done!"

"I-it wasn't m-my fault!" the fat boy wailed. "M-my w-wand b-backfired, honestly, I s-swear I d-didn't mean t-to – "

The greasy-haired and mustached boy glared at Sirius and James, who by this time were prostrate with laughter. "Think it's funny do you, you morons?" he hissed.

James and Sirius were instantly on their feet at the insult. Remus got to his feet too, more slowly, and Teddy saw with surprise that his father was clutching his wand tightly – so tightly, in fact, that his knuckles were turning white. But there was no time to dwell on this, as the furious greasy boy raised his wand –

"_Rictusempra!_"

"_Expelliarmus!_"

James and Sirius ducked as a green spell shot from the greasy boy's wand and passed mere inches over their heads. Remus's red spell shot from his wand with a strength which marveled Teddy – he hadn't learned the Disarming Charm until his Fourth year at Hogwarts. The _Expelliarmus_ knocked the wand straight out of the greasy boy's hand, quickly followed by Remus's next charm – "_Aguamenti!_"

A thick stream of water shot forward and drenched not only the greasy boy, but his two companions, and all three of them stumbled backwards, slipping on their suddenly soaking robes and howling as the water splashed into their eyes. As one, they toppled back through the doorway to the compartment, and Remus, trembling slightly, walked forward and slid it shut. Total silence suddenly fell on the four boys within.

"_Brilliant,_" James finally breathed.

"Wicked!" Sirius yelled joyfully, letting out a whoop of triumph. Remus flushed, apparently embarrassed of the praise.

"What's your name?" James demanded.

"Remus Lupin."

"James Potter," James beamed. "And this is – "

"Sirius Black, prankster extraordinaire, at your service," Sirius said grandly, flourishing his arms. Teddy couldn't prevent a chuckle from escaping him at his antics. He turned to the fat boy, who was still quivering in place at the other end of the compartment. "Who're you, then?"

"P-Peter P-Pettigrew," the boy squeaked, his eyes wide as they flicked between the two dark-haired boys and Remus's wand, as though Remus would suddenly turn around and hex him, too.

"Well then," James said cheerfully. "Anyone for chocolate frogs?"

Teddy watched Remus's eyes light up with a tender expression of hope and cautious happiness. And then a dreadful wave of emotion swept through him as he remembered the fates of the four careless lads clustering around James's package of wriggling frogs, swapping cards and laughing over Uric the Oddball's nose-picking – all four dead, one a traitor, one a wrongly-convicted killer, one murdered, another tortured by the past and his own body and mind…

And Teddy, despite the charming scene before him, found it very hard to be happy.

* * *

**A/N: Oof, my longest chapter yet. Hope y'all enjoyed it! Sorry if it seems like I'm being biased towards Lupin in these memories, but I'm trying to keep to the timeline and Remus _is_ fourteen years older than Tonks…so, yeah. Review please!!! You know you want to, and I have cookies:D**

**Hmm. Someone beta-ing on Mugglenet fanfiction has just rejected the prologue of this story on the grounds that the plot is 'unbelievable'. Um, it's called fantasy, ppl. And it's called fanfiction. I have to say, I'm rather miffed…ha. This mod, whoever they are, spelled Tonks's name wrong. I feel a bit better now.**


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